fishpro

I had the same thing happen to me a few years ago, same time of year, lake mostly still frozen. I went small with the flies and tippet, then it turned out that putting on a black leech was the ticket. Go out and try again soon, fairly soon they'll be spawning and not interested at all.

In this case that does apply, but in the future be sure to check the zone specific regulations, in this case ES1.

Interesting question, although I think the reason is that people are not targeting stacked-up or spawning steelhead as your post seems to imply. Most steelhead fishing is for the fish that are migrating or holding over the winter, so these fish are often months away from spawning. They are also far from stacking up, they are scattered throughout the river, particularly in the fall. I know that in the Skeena system, many rivers freeze up, and then aren't open to angling (between conditions and regulations) again until most steelhead have spawned and returned to the ocean. In terms of the anglers that target the steelhead, I believe that many are trying to target the freshest fish in the system and have very little to no interest in spawning fish. Jayhad, have you had the opportunity to fish for steelhead before? In my experience, it is anything but targeting vulnerable fish.

Anyone know where I can find a 1/4 inch or 1/2 inch foam butt cap for a rod I'm building? I have cork for the fighting butt, but would like a piece of black foam right at the back. I may have missed it, but didn't notice them when I was in at Fish Tales picking up my supplies. Thanks

Please count me in if the drawing is for tickets on the 25th.

What an awesome video! I was there 6 years ago, tough fishing but landed 18 large trout for the week, all on dry flies! Average size was 6 lbs, one fish was an Arctic Char. There are also tons of pike along the shorelines.

It's been years since I was there, and I was only there once, but about 10 km south of highway 22 on highway 762 had some amazing fall colours!

I completely agree. If we can't post on it and can only send a pm to educate the poster, how many people will see such a post and learn bad habits from it? I am going to message a moderator on that board.

What a pathetic display of fish handling! http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showthread.php?t=191929 http://imgur.com/1Rcq5XP The sad thing is that over on that board, posts such as these are completely acceptable and allowed, however you are not allowed to stand up for the resource and make a comment when poor fish handling is displayed. As you will see in that thread, one user was actually suspended for commenting on it. This is a new rule on the board! http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showthread.php?t=191020 Forums should be about helping a resource, not abusing it.

The line pickup rate it definitely worth it. I was fishing a very large arbour reel for steelhead this past week and there were times that a fish would come at me that even with running backwards and reeling like mad I barely kept the tension on, the large arbour definitely made a difference!

Sounds like a great event, I'm excited to watch it for sure!

Thanks for the info everyone!! I ended up getting a killer deal on a 12'6" 6wt Z Axis. Might be at the heavy end of what's needed, but should be good for getting some big streamer rigs out there.

Sure! I'm just trying to see what weights most people use.

What weight rod is everyone using for swinging streamers on the Bow? I'm thinking of getting a lighter spey for trout fishing.

How's the lot at Mac? Is it accessible for a car? Will just be using a pontoon.

Also check out the PLBs from ACR Electronics. They're made as an emergency use only unit, but you purchase once and don't have to pay for a subscription.

A 5126 just got listed on Speypages

By no means am I an expert, but I was in your position a year ago. An 8 or 9 weight will be a good all around rod for steelhead. As for lines, I used the Rio Skagit Flight and found it was good, stick with any skagit as it will turn over heavy tips and flies better. With either Rio or Airflo, you can go online and view a chart for recommendations for line weight for your rod. I used the heavy end of that guide and it worked well (Rio gives a range of weights). My biggest piece of advise is to take a lesson, with private lessons being the best. I did just a two hour lesson and it helped me a ton, then I did some practice on the water 4 or 5 times, and was able to cast effectively after that. You don't need to be a fantastic caster to catch fish.

LOL nope, 9 weight...

Thanks everyone! And I've cleaned out my inbox.

Just a thread to talk about steelhead we've caught and share some pictures. I'll start. Last summer I took a trip up to the Skeena region to hit the salmon runs and then hopefully get into an early steelhead or two. Throughout my trip in late July and the first half of August I mostly fished the Kitimat for chums, but spent 4 days or portions there of on the lower Skeena hoping to get into a steelhead. Of these 4 days, three of them were completely fishless, while one produced a small dolly and a pink salmon. The chum were getting moldy down on the Kitimat and the coho weren't coming in strong yet, and I hadn't landed a steelhead yet, so I decided to dedicate the last 3.5 days of my trip to changing that. I went into one of the local tackle shops for some tips and a license, and soon was on my way to a run on the Copper River. I spent much of that first afternoon and evening without a hit. I had however lost about ten flies due to snags (too heavy of a sink tip). It was almost dark, and after one snag that I just barely got free I had a hit and I made a solid hook set knowing I most likely had my first steelhead ever on the line. However it only lasted a couple seconds and my 20lb leader broke (weakened on the snag). Go to shore, re-rig, then back into the run where I was. A few casts later I get another hit, and I managed another solid hookset, but after the last break off I didn't fight the fish hard enough and lost it shortly after. I fished another 20 minutes until it was dark then headed back to my van. Somehow I was able to sleep that night with my mind racing through every almost every emotion a fisherman can experience - frustration, determination, excitement, wondering how tomorrow will turn out. So the next morning I got up and headed to the same pool. It was a little after 7:30 that I waded into the head of the run under a thick fog. I started the rhythm that any steelhead angler knows - cast, swing, step, repeat. Within a couple minutes I had a hit and got a solid hookset. This one stayed on, so I yelled out "fish on" as there was another angler fishing the bottom of the pool. He made his way up to where I was as I fought this fish, knowing it was most likely a steelhead. The fight was unlike any I'd had before, everything seemed to be happening in high speed - the runs were fast, then I'd retrieve quickly as the fish made its way towards me, and then would run again straight into the middle of the river just as fast as before, not to mention my heart was absolutely pounding. As I got the fish close I could see it was a very good fish, and the guy who was there kept saying "holy s*** that's a good fish". He said he would let me tail it myself, cause that way I would have no one to blame but myself if I lost it. I asked if he'd be able to take a picture once I landed it, and he told me to not even talk about pictures yet as I was yet to land it. Did I mention my heart was pounding? After a few more minutes of fighting the fish closer in, I managed to barely get my hand around it's tail. I had done it, I landed my first steelhead. After a few quick pictures I let this incredible creature continue its journey, and I made my way back to shore to sit down and calm my nerves. I checked the time, it wasn't even 8:00 yet and my day had already been made.

It may still be meaningful, as it would likely be a criminal charge.

It won't work with your waist pack, but if you ever carry a backpack go get one with the special laptop compartment. It holds nets perfectly with the handle sticking up and ready to grab.

I've never been, but it's on my list for sure. For easier travel and tons of big rainbows check out Jurassic Lake - I've been once and it's unreal!!

I'd have to say either Calgary or Terrace. The salmon and steelhead fishing up in Northern BC can be insane and there's good fishing almost every month of the year.